Brokered-Time Stations

[SharkBites]

What are reasonable rates for shows to succeed with brokered time?

Since no one is hiring, are their true benefits financially to buying time?

Are there other options that make sense? Revenue sharing type scenerios?

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

It is pretty simple, really. At WLYN/WAZN, for example, we sell airtime by the hour.
If you can sell ads or obtain sponsorship for your program, and that sum is more than
you pay us for the time, you make money. For somebody who is entrepreneurial, it is a win-win.
It is one way to present your own content without a major investment. If you can't make
the numbers work for a handful of hours per week, it would never work commercially on a large
scale. Start out small, and build up an audience for your product.

There are alot of costs involved in radio as a business - this is a great way to get
started without risking your life savings...We have time available... what is your idea?

 

[DanStrassberg]

There are alot of costs involved in radio as a business - this is a great way to get
started without risking your life savings...We have time available... what is your idea?

But even if, as part of the deal, you agree to place some number of promos for his show on the air each week, he's still got to be resourceful--and connected--enough to get promos of some kind placed elsewhere. If he can line up a few advertisers before he goes on the air, they may agree to display promotional materials for the show in their places of business. That could be helpful, but he probably needs to hit the local weeklies in the communities he targets and get them to run (unpaid) articles about the unique new radio program. I would guess that the car cards on the MBTA, taxi tops, and roadside billboards would have to wait;>) If he wants to make a success of his program, he needs to be ready and able to do a lot more work than the average guy would imagine to get a decent number of people to tune to stations they may never have listened to. And he's GOT to have compelling content to keep the listeners coming back week after week. OTOH, if he can pull it off, what a story he'd have for his resume! I would think he'd be in a great position to sell himself to a radio station as a guy who deserved a full-time job--not just on the air but also in sales and/or promo.

 

[DanStrassberg]

OTOH, if he can pull it off, what a story he'd have for his resume! I would think he'd be in a great position to sell himself to a radio station as a guy who deserved a full-time job--not just on the air but also in sales and/or promo.

Do WLYN/WAZN have a Web site? For that matter, do any MRBI stations in other markets have Web sites? Does the poster who started this thread have a Web site or even a YouTube Web page? You know, if he can make this project work (that is, really make a little money from it), the first thing he ought to do by way of self promotion would be to create a Web page that tells the story of how he made it work. If well told, the story could be inspirational and a must-read for all radio wannabees in the 21st century.

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

Our parent company has a website: http://mrbi.net
It is fairly basic at this time, however...

Yes, a person doing a brokered program has to get the word out
and publicize it. As you said, the content needs to be compelling,
for repeat listeners. A major problem is that people who think that
they have so much to say believe that others care to hear it, and
they can, basically, say everything on their mind in just a few minutes.
Then they are left with the rest of their time with absolutely nothing
to say...

My mentor told me many years ago: when you start to believe your
own publicity that you are the next big thing, time to retire... ;D

 

[Lucylu]

What are the Andleman's paying for their time on WTKK?

 

[SharkBites]

I can't even imagine what they're paying. I'm going to start soon on a 5,000 watt station. short monthly rate where i can make a profit and the guys behind the scenes are really good guys and get what they have to do. Radio is tough now and it all comes down to being able to sell yourself.

 

[JIBGUY]

Brokered-time stations in an around Boston (either full-time or part-time):

650 - whatever their calls are now....
680 - WRKO - 50kw - if you have organized products to sell
830 - WCRN - 50kw
890 - WAMG - 25kw- for games and other sports talk
950 - WROL - 5kw
1060 - WBIX - 40kw
1090 - WILD - 5kw
1120 - WBNW - business oriented - (Concord MA)
1330 - WRCA - 5kw almost 100% brokered
1360 - WLYN - 0.8kw - almost 100% brokered
1410 - WMSX - 1kw (Brockton)
1460 - WXBR (ex WBET) 5kw - (Brockton) - business oriented
1470 - WAZN - 2.5kw? almost 100% brokered
1510 - WWZN 50kw - even Brother Stair gets time here!
1550 - WNTN - almost 100% brokered
1570 - WNSH - 30kw (Beverly)
1600 - WUNR - the oldest of the brokered time stations - almost 100% brokered

Stations which have shown incredible steadiness, with several long-time clients are 950, 1550 and 1600.

Usually the only conditions that permit a brokered-time show to succeed is if it is of the same topic of the rest of the station. ...such as doing a business show on 1060, or doing a sports show on 1510, or doing an old-time music program on 740 (but 740 is not selling any more time). Having a station airing promos for your show does no good if the station is a mish-mash of many different unrelated types of shows especially if the shows are in several different languages. There ARE exceptions.... perhaps a Lithuanian show would work on any station that has a decent signal (not being sarcastic here), since the small Lithuanian community would lock in on that station at your show's time.

If you're going to do "another sports show" you had better be REALLY good at what you do. You may end up losing a ton of money.... HOWEVER, it might be a really good way (by making airchecks while you're on) to break in the biz and use such airchecks to obtain a real (and unstable) paid radio job.

Perhaps a person wanting to do a soul-oldies program would do real well, renting time on 1090.

The biggest problem with brokering time is, let's say if you are paying $130.00 per hour, and someone else comes along wanting your hour and another hour adjacent to yours and is willing to pay $160.00 per hour.... look out! - Most brokered-time stations have an "out clause" for no particular reason. Perhaps many of the above listed stations do not have that out clause. But all stations have a contract involved which you'll need to take to your attorney before signing.

Blue-Skying mode /off/

 

[radioguybroadcasting]

I'm only guestimating here based upon what the hourly rates of some stations are and what commercials go for, but for one thing.. an hourly rate is somewhat based upon what the station could make in ad sales.

That in mind, it'd probably take several months for a brokered time show to break even ... enough time to build up awareness, audience, sponsors... because no matter how good you are at promotions and sales beforehand, some people or sponsors are just going to wait it out till you've been on the air awhile, to make sure you're going to stick around awhile and gain an audience.

Brokered shows notoriously don't last long... alot of them have been around a LONG time but a good portion disappear after the first 12 weeks when they've run out of money ,can't pay the bills and don't have any sponsors.

 

[JIBGUY]

Brokered shows notoriously don't last long... alot of them have been around a LONG time but a good portion disappear after the first 12 weeks when they've run out of money ,can't pay the bills and don't have any sponsors.

I'd say that is correct. Probably 1 in 20 "make it".

 

[MarcB]

The biggest problem with brokering time is, let's say if you are paying $130.00 per hour, and someone else comes along wanting your hour and another hour adjacent to yours and is willing to pay $160.00 per hour.... look out! -

Bob,

You are correct. When 990 AM in Connecticut was first sold to Davidson, they leased 6AM-6PM to one group who programmed a Spanish AC format. The rest of the time was leased to anyone willing to pay for the time. I was one of those persons. For $20/week I got two hours at 80 watts. (There was an additional monthly fee for internet streaming). About 9 weeks into my 14 week contract (13 + one week off) the GM told me the Spanish Group was taking over the remaining time on the station and my show was done.


Also once when ADD still owned the station I asked the GM if he'd pick up NASCAR Racing on Sundays and he told me that if I could bring in more money in advertising revenue than he was bringing in with The Final Hour of the Italian Show, The Lutheran Church Mass, and The Polka Show he'd consider carrying NASCAR.

-MArc

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

Our company requires a security deposit, just like with an apartment.
Most contracts are written for a one year period, which protects that
time slot for the duration of the contract. This protects the programmer,
as well as the station. Since we started here 6 years ago,
we have several programmers who have been with us for years. Rates per
hour have a wide range, depending on a number of factors involved. For many
people this is the alternative that is often mentioned. The key, again, is to do
something unique to the market. I have turned down potential business before,
and I will do so again, I'm sure. If I get a phone call, and all that is asked is price -
99% of the time that call is not viable, and it will never happen.

You and your circle of friends and family may believe you have all of the answers,
but if the public at large doesn't agree, and you are under capitalized, your program
will fail. Again, for all of the wannabe's out there - radio is a business...

That said, if you really have faith in yourself, and your product - go for it!
Take a chance, and try to build something...

 

[JIBGUY]

Most contracts are written for a one year period, which protects that
time slot for the duration of the contract. This protects the programmer,
as well as the station.

OK, what happens if a time-buyer (a.k.a. 'programmer') is getting successful after 11 months to the point of almost breaking even (not even counting his/her time), and its time for contract-renewal? Does the time-buyer (1) get the same rate? --or (2) the same rate plus exact cost-of-living-increase percentage? ---or (3) nothing if someone else wants the time willing to pay more? --or if the station is sold? --or (4) is the market soft now, where most time-buyers would not have to worry about someone coming along with more money?

If #3 happens, then a station will have just wasted a person(s)' year of time & effort & cash.

Anyone else out there have any of those scenarios happen to them?

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

All of our programmers are on a case by case basis - every situation is different.
When they succeed, we succeed - everybody wins...

If a station gets sold - who knows what could happen? I've had it happen to me -
hello, I'm John Doe, the new station owner, and today is your last day here..

 

[JoeyMurr]

I just wanted to throw in my input as a guy who has paid to be on air....

I've been at 1510 for over a year now and if you can put out a good product and sell advertising it can be profitable. But as far as going everyday and more than a couple of hours a week it can become very expensive on 50,000 watts. I still think time buy is a good option to invest in a career. To be honest, if I was an intern at another sports radio station I would be a coffee boy. I interned for a few months watched how radio works and got on air. I will say your first year you will be lucky to break even, but you really have to hustle and sell yourself.. contact the local newspapers,myspace/facebook websites, and go to your local bar and try to do a show from there... There is a lot of competition out there and its all about selling yourself no matter what people think of the station........